The Dish

This Valentine’s Day inspired salad is light, refreshing and delicious! Treat yourself to a lunch that feels special and indulgent, but also won’t make you overly full for your date night. Our Champagne Vinaigrette creates an elegant, cohesive flavor, transforming ordinary quinoa into a sophisticated treat. Make extra to use as a topping over a bed of spinach or arugula, or bring in a big bowl for your coworkers as a Valentine’s Day gift!

If you’re not following @rosalierouge go change that ASAP! Not only does Kelsey post tons of great recipe ideas, but she blogs about amazing beauty products and fashion items, too. She’s also a big fan of Dress It Up Dressing, and we fell in love with her Crispy Chicken Ranch Salad recipe (copied for you below)!

This spinach salad is SUPER easy to make, especially once you have the chicken and chickpeas prepped. You can heat it up throughout the week, or eat it cold, and regardless, it tastes amazing with the dressing. I like to add in some couscous to add in some healthy and filling carbs. This salad would also be amazing with tomatoes, but sadly I was out.

I’m one of those people that loves rosemary and thinks there are places it just belongs: potatoes, bread, Ina Garten’s toasted cashew recipe. It brings a smell before it brings a taste, becoming a double sensory delight.

Having made the Barefoot Contessa recipe for cashews numerous times, I decided to apply the same principle to roasting chickpeas. They replace croutons in my salads most days, and are easy as can be to make in a variety of different flavors. They’re also great for snacking on as-is.

I thought roasting chickpeas was one of the simplest most delightful things you could do in the kitchen, until I met the lovely Jennifer Perillo who asked, “Do you peal the skins off the chickpeas?” No! I didn’t. I have 3 minutes to devote to the task of roasting the little gems, so there is no peeling. That’s when I learned that for the crispiest, crunchiest chick peas, you have to take the skin off.

Whether or not you choose to take this extra step, I leave to you. I won’t ask; you needn’t tell. (I know what I do. And I know what I’ll do when Jennifer’s coming over).

Sushi is wildly popular in my house – so popular that I had to start making my own once my children’s appetites began exceeding my budget.

Of course, whether or not what I make is actually “sushi” is subject to interpretation. Usually it looks like sushi in that it’s rice wrapped in Nori , but that may be where the likeness begins and ends. I use those two ingredients as a departure point to put all sorts of things in the middle knowing they’ll be devoured!

But rolling sushi for my children to take to school for lunch is not going to happen, love them though I do. However, I can do the next best thing and make a sushi bowl rather than a sushi roll. Imagine all the ingredients of sushi, without the meticulous labor.

You can add tofu, carrots, avocado, cucumber, spinach, broccoli, green beans or get creative and add salmon and a little cream-cheese or avocado, kohlrabi and pesto. Just pick whatever your child likes (or tolerates) and include it.

It feels almost silly to share this recipe for Crispy Baked Kale Chips considering how many recipes already exist online. Really, I’m writing about them today to remind everyone how easy they are to make at home compared to buying them (and a lot less expensive, too). They’re the perfect snack to pack in school lunches.

Some recipes direct you to blast the kale with heat as high at 400ºF. I’ve been guilty of that in the past, too. Time and experience making many batches of kale chips have taught me that a little patience goes a long way. Low and slower is the way to go.

A 15 to 20 minute bake at 325ºF does the job nicely. Stirring the kale every 5 minutes is fussy-sounding but key in making sure they dry out properly without burning in spots. I love using Tuscan kale, but curly green kale will work fine. Those heads tend to be larger, so you’ll likely need to use two pans. Also, a little oil goes a long way. Don’t worry if they seem too dry after rubbing with such a small amount. The kale releases moisture as it bakes in the oven. Too much oil, and you’ll have greasy kale chips (been there, done that).